The Ref Stop

Luton v Swindon Sub error

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Your worst nightmare as an AR or 4th official. Player not on team sheet comes on as sub for Swindon in 46th minute, Luton notified referee of the error in 67th minute.

Worse at professional level when players have their names on their shirts.

Luton Town and Swindon Town's EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday night was delayed in the second half due to a mix-up with the teamsheets. Swindon came from behind to beat the League One side 2-1 at Kenilworth Road to progress to the quarter-final.

With the score level at 1-1, play was stopped in the 67th minute when Swindon's Aaron Drinan came on for Ollie Palmer, despite not being on the official team sheet. Drinan was, however, named on the teams given to the media.

Defender Ryan Tafazolli was named on the team sheet instead, although the former Wycombe Wanderers ace was nowhere to be seen. After Luton realised that Drinan had come on despite not being on the team sheet, referee Peter Wright was alerted to the situation.

Swindon boss Ian Holloway offered to take Drinan off when the mistake was realised, but Luton's Jack Wilshere insisted that wasn't necessary. "There'll be some sort of action because something's gone wrong in the system," Holloway told BBC.

"When we used to write the teamsheet down it was never wrong, was it? But when it's on an iPad and it's now shown to us how can I say, 'Is that my team?' if I haven't checked it?

"So no one checked it and it's too late to check it once the game's gone on. They noticed it because one of their staff noticed it. It's a major whoopsie, I would suggest, from the officials. So is that us?"

Wilshere, who has won nine of his 19 games in charge of Luton, urged the English Football League to investigate the incident. "We'll leave it with the EFL and trust that they'll come to the right decision," he said.

Whatever the rules are, the rules are. I felt like the decision could have been made quicker which was frustrating, it's either we carry on or we're stopping. But the EFL will (have to) investigate and they'll come to the right decision hopefully."

BBC Sport's Geoff Doyle provided an insight into the incident live from Kenilworth Road, claiming he expected to see punishment directed towards Swindon, which could result in them being booted out of the competition.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "Holloway offered to substitute Drinan back off when they all realised the mistake he wasn't on the team sheet. Can't see how they won't get disqualified despite beating Luton - even a Swindon player admitted that as walked past me after in tunnel."

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDLIVPaPNR8RpAlYmtIfan709cqk9CzVC?si=X0j0290NY7T6BTIu
 
The Ref Stop
Your worst nightmare as an AR or 4th official. Player not on team sheet comes on as sub for Swindon in 46th minute, Luton notified referee of the error in 67th minute.

Worse at professional level when players have their names on their shirts.

Luton Town and Swindon Town's EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday night was delayed in the second half due to a mix-up with the teamsheets. Swindon came from behind to beat the League One side 2-1 at Kenilworth Road to progress to the quarter-final.

With the score level at 1-1, play was stopped in the 67th minute when Swindon's Aaron Drinan came on for Ollie Palmer, despite not being on the official team sheet. Drinan was, however, named on the teams given to the media.

Defender Ryan Tafazolli was named on the team sheet instead, although the former Wycombe Wanderers ace was nowhere to be seen. After Luton realised that Drinan had come on despite not being on the team sheet, referee Peter Wright was alerted to the situation.

Swindon boss Ian Holloway offered to take Drinan off when the mistake was realised, but Luton's Jack Wilshere insisted that wasn't necessary. "There'll be some sort of action because something's gone wrong in the system," Holloway told BBC.

"When we used to write the teamsheet down it was never wrong, was it? But when it's on an iPad and it's now shown to us how can I say, 'Is that my team?' if I haven't checked it?

"So no one checked it and it's too late to check it once the game's gone on. They noticed it because one of their staff noticed it. It's a major whoopsie, I would suggest, from the officials. So is that us?"

Wilshere, who has won nine of his 19 games in charge of Luton, urged the English Football League to investigate the incident. "We'll leave it with the EFL and trust that they'll come to the right decision," he said.

Whatever the rules are, the rules are. I felt like the decision could have been made quicker which was frustrating, it's either we carry on or we're stopping. But the EFL will (have to) investigate and they'll come to the right decision hopefully."

BBC Sport's Geoff Doyle provided an insight into the incident live from Kenilworth Road, claiming he expected to see punishment directed towards Swindon, which could result in them being booted out of the competition.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "Holloway offered to substitute Drinan back off when they all realised the mistake he wasn't on the team sheet. Can't see how they won't get disqualified despite beating Luton - even a Swindon player admitted that as walked past me after in tunnel."

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDLIVPaPNR8RpAlYmtIfan709cqk9CzVC?si=X0j0290NY7T6BTIu
Seems clear to me that the issue lies squarely at the foot of the club. It’s their responsibility to ensure the team submitted to the Referee etc/IT is accurate, not the team sheet they handed to the media. Even at recent Step 5/6 games, when a change has been made, the Home club update the paper team sheet handed to guests/media etc. Sounds like a schoolboy error to me. However, I don’t think they should be thrown out of the competition, nor even for the game to be played because the player was correctly registered. However, a fine of some sort would imho be appropriate.
 
Are officials not doing the basics at that level? Ask his name, don't assume or ...
Good point & if there was an avoidable error from the 4th official/AR, then another reason why Swindon should not be thrown out of the competition. However, it does always make me smile when people say, leave it to the FA to make the right decision without actually saying what they believe to be the right decision. 😊
 
I'm pretty sure in the pro game the 4th officials don't ask the name of the player coming on, they just check the numbers. When I was on the Conference and National League I originally wrote the subs names down in my book but was told by multiple other officials not to bother, and rather just write the numbers of the subs on the sub cards that each team get, then when handed a card make sure the number of the sub is one of those written down. Same as the referees don't ask the names when cautioning or sending off.

I can only assume Swindon will be expelled, they are ultimately to blame for using a player not named on the team sheet.
 
I'm pretty sure in the pro game the 4th officials don't ask the name of the player coming on, they just check the numbers. When I was on the Conference and National League I originally wrote the subs names down in my book but was told by multiple other officials not to bother, and rather just write the numbers of the subs on the sub cards that each team get, then when handed a card make sure the number of the sub is one of those written down. Same as the referees don't ask the names when cautioning or sending off.

I can only assume Swindon will be expelled, they are ultimately to blame for using a player not named on the team sheet.
But at FA Trophy level wouldn't the players have squad numbers and their names printed on the back of their jersey? So surely the number can't have been correct on the subs card in this instance?
 
But at FA Trophy level wouldn't the players have squad numbers and their names printed on the back of their jersey? So surely the number can't have been correct on the subs card in this instance?
EFL Trophy, bus yet that is correct. I can only assume they put Drinan's name and squad number on the team sheet, instead of Tafazolli and his actual number. So the number on the team sheet matched the number of the player coming on.
 
It will be interesting to see what comes out in the wash, which I would expect to be fairly quick, because what we don’t want again at this level (or any level) as Tom Jones once sang “History Repeating”!
 
EFL Trophy, bus yet that is correct. I can only assume they put Drinan's name and squad number on the team sheet, instead of Tafazolli and his actual number. So the number on the team sheet matched the number of the player coming on.
The other way round Tafazolli 17 was on the team sheet, Drinian 23 comes on.

It’s difficult to understand how the 4O messed up, if the above is true.

Hopefully the club mixed up the names & numbers for the match officials sake.

Very different to our level when team numbers are 1 to 17, players often wear different numbers each week & certainly no names on the shirt.

As AR I would always ask the name of the oncoming sub, which has been on more than one occasion wrong at step 5 level.

Tafazolli (centre back) & (centre forward), look similar 🙈

Incidentally three subs were made at half time all by Swindon.

IMG_1711.webpIMG_1710.webp
 
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The other way round Tafazolli 17 was on the team sheet, Drinian 23 comes on.

It’s difficult to understand how the 4O messed up, if the above is true.

Hopefully the club mixed up the names & numbers for the match officials sake.

Very different to our level when team numbers are 1 to 17, players often wear different numbers each week & certainly no names on the shirt.

As AR I would always ask the name of the oncoming sub, which has been on more than one occasion wrong at step 5 level.

Tafazolli (centre back) & (centre forward), look similar 🙈

Incidentally three subs were made in 46th minute all by Swindon.

View attachment 8501View attachment 8502
Yeah, I got them the wrong way round. I wonder if he came on wearing the wrong shirt. Or perhaps they no longer check even the numbers, after all in some competitions the sub electronic board is already passed to them with the numbers already programmed.
 
Yeah, I got them the wrong way round. I wonder if he came on wearing the wrong shirt. Or perhaps they no longer check even the numbers, after all in some competitions the sub electronic board is already passed to them with the numbers already programmed.
Possibly makes it worse for the officials, is the three subs were made at half time, so had a bit more time & the board was irrelevant for players coming off as they were in the dressing room.

Drinian is Swindon’s best player, top scorer with 13 goals this season. Luton thought it strange the top scorer wasn’t playing or even named on the bench. Match officials usually know the best players & often discuss which key players are playing or not! Even Luton took 22 minutes to realise.

He was on the pitch in his shirt 23 & his name,

The team sheet is sent in to referees iPad. A different team sheet was sent to the press at 6pm.
 
It's an interesting area. We pretty much all check the names and numbers of players coming on as subs, but
a) Does it actually say anywhere that we are responsible for this?
b) Has anyone ever checked that the 22 who start the game have the correct numbers (and names?) as per the teamsheet?
 
It's an interesting area. We pretty much all check the names and numbers of players coming on as subs, but
a) Does it actually say anywhere that we are responsible for this?
b) Has anyone ever checked that the 22 who start the game have the correct numbers (and names?) as per the teamsheet?
This is a particularly valid point. I don't know any referee that checks the numbers of the starting 22 players against the team sheet, letalone the names, and again coming out for the second half. There's classic law test questions about players subbing at half time without informing you... but I do wonder sometimes if people would notice.
 
The practice here is that we only use numbers for recording. Before the start of the game we write the number for the subs in the game card from the teamsheet. When a sub is made, we write the number of the replaced player against it. After the game we transfer the information to the team sheet.

Years ago when we used paper teamsheets, it was left at the referee change room usually in the referee's kit bag. I was AR1 in a game and a home team sub's number was not in my list of subs on my game card (and the referee's card too but he copied my list -common practice). The coach insisted I must have made a mistake and it was on the team sheet. The referee allowed the substitution. After the game when we went to change rooms and looked at the team sheet which was in the referee's bag, the sub number which we had was crossed out and the new number was written next to it. I had no doubt this had happen after we left the room at half time. The referee was furious but we couldn't do anything except for putting a report in. Lessons for both of us, get the subs list independently (don't copy each other), and always take the team sheet with you, kept by AR1.
 
It's an interesting area. We pretty much all check the names and numbers of players coming on as subs, but
a) Does it actually say anywhere that we are responsible for this?
b) Has anyone ever checked that the 22 who start the game have the correct numbers (and names?) as per the teamsheet?
This is a particularly valid point. I don't know any referee that checks the numbers of the starting 22 players against the team sheet, letalone the names, and again coming out for the second half. There's classic law test questions about players subbing at half time without informing you... but I do wonder sometimes if people would notice.
There are some areas that players and teams can blatantly cheat and easily get away with it. This is one of them. Swapping of shirts is another one. With electronic team sheets and photo IDs this has become has become harder but it still happens. The last league I refereed in made the referees responsible to check every player on the teamsheet is on the field, against their shirt number and matching their face against their photo. No one liked it but had to be done if you wanted to referee for that league.
 
“Don’t tell them your name Clarke!”

Sub error!! Sub error!! Sub error!!

Don’t let them know we played a player under a SEVEN game suspension too!

Swindon are claiming that FA confirmed with them that Clarke’s ban did not include games played in the Vertu Trophy & have a lawyer on both those and the unnamed player on the team sheet. If by saying that they checked on the Portal that the Vertu Trophy is not included for suspensions, then we know that the portal is not 100% accurate as it isn’t with players registrations/disciplinary records. This is not going to be a quick decision & probably into the end of next week or beyond.
 
Swindon are claiming that FA confirmed with them that Clarke’s ban did not include games played in the Vertu Trophy & have a lawyer on both those and the unnamed player on the team sheet. If by saying that they checked on the Portal that the Vertu Trophy is not included for suspensions, then we know that the portal is not 100% accurate as it isn’t with players registrations/disciplinary records. This is not going to be a quick decision & probably into the end of next week or beyond.

They have no chance as the written reasons on the FA website states this ...

A 7-match ban starting on 19/12/25 which applies to all domestic club football until such time as Swindon Town FC have completed seven (7) First Team Competitive Matches (Category 1) in approved competitions.

Don't see how any lawyer gets them out of that, especially as they would have been sent that case outcome. I suspect they are basing it on a Plymouth player not including a Vertu Trophy tie as part of his suspension, but he was sent off for a standard offence. Clarke was charged with misconduct and the offence was so serious the written findings have sections redacted, never seen that before.
 
Sounds like a question of what was asked versus what was answered. I would imagine that the FA answer was that the match did not count as one of the 7, which is different from whether the player was eligible to play. Were I the team, I certainly would have been very, very clear about the question and had the answer in writing--or if verbal would have confirmed it back to the FA in writing. Had they done that, I expect they would have made that written confirmation public by now.
 
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